CHESTERFIELD PANTHERS

RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB

OPERATIONAL

CODE OF PRACTICE

CHESTERFIELD PANTHERS RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB

CODE OF PRACTICE

The purpose of this document is to provide rules, a code of practice for members covering all aspects of the

operation of the CPRUFC.

It is not intended to be draconian but to tidy up certain areas and allow the general membership knowledge of the

modus operandi of the Clubs.

This is a new document and must be read in conjunction with the constitutions/rules of the various Clubs. The

rules of CPRUFC are available on the web site. Where there is conflict it should be the long term goal to make

the broad constitutions and the ‘operational rules’ fit.

There is a need for such a document due to the growth in the Club and the high churn rate as members come and

go. We must ensure that we conduct ourselves within well founded rules in all aspects from running the bar to

maintaining the ground to organising games. It must apply to all from the President down to the mum and dad of

our youngest player. We must remove the chance of anyone doing harm to the Club by chance or deliberately.

There can be no argument against the rule of the committee being final and sacrosanct and that nothing can

happen without the consent of that body. That has to underpin any rules. However the rules are not intended to be

a hindrance and the committee is duty bound to give fair consideration to anything that is for the benefit of the

Club.

The document should be controlled in its issue, be revised at least annually and re-issued annually to take into

account changes and new faces.

CONTENTS

1. Committee Responsibilities

2. Use of Chesterfield Rugby Union Football Club’s name

3. Fund Raising

4. Sponsorship

5. Touring

6. Procurement

7. Incentives to playing

8. The Kitchen

9. The Bar

10. Use of the Ground/Clubhouse

11. Outside use of the facility

12. Planning Issues

13. Neighbours

14. CASC

15. Payments to Officers of the Club

16. Payments to Players

17. Insurances

18. Club Colours

19. Web Site www.chesterfieldpanthers.co.uk

20. Discipline

21. Correspondence with other clubs

22. Team Officials

23. Floodlights

24. Tackle Shop

25. Newsletter

26. Injuries

27. Abuse of Officials.

28. Codes of Conduct

29. Travelling Expenses

30. Match Tax

31. Changing Rooms

32. Selection

33. Coach Education

34. Officer of the Day

Many of the subjects above are inter-related and none should be read in isolation. The document should be read

in full and if something crops up that is not covered please refer to any Committee Member.

OFFICERS OF CHESTERFIELD RUBGY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB

PRESIDENT Steve Gambles

SECRETARY Cath Wynn

TREASURER Alison Holleworth

COMMITTEE OF THE RUGBY CLUB (see fixture book for individuals details)

All Officers of the club and the Commercial Director. The nominated positions above have the power of spend

defined in the procurement section

1. Committee Responsibilities

PRESIDENT

The public face of the club

Represent the club at official meetings and functions

Chair the Annual General Meeting and any other general meetings of the club

Organise the Annual Dinner

Any specific tasks as agreed with the Committee

SECRETARY

First point of contact for outside bodies

Contact point for RFU, NLD and Local Authorities

Representation on local forums and committees

All matters relating to licences, registrations and insurance responsibilities

All legal matters prior to needing specialist advice

All membership records and data

International ticket requests and allocations

Any employment records and requirements

Website management

Club Newsletter

TREASURER

All matters financial

Prepare budgets for specific tasks and coming seasons as required

Maintain management accounts and present same at Committee meetings

Prepare and present annual accounts to the Annual General Meeting

Work in conjunction with other Committee members and any sub committees regarding specific tasks (e.g. Bar

Accounts, Shop Accounts)

All VAT and any other Taxation issues

The annual audit of the accounts

DIRECTOR OF RUGBY

All matters related to the playing of Senior Rugby

Senior fixtures and competitions entered

Control of all equipment related to training and playing

Coach and player development

Referees and referee development

Junior to Senior player transition

CHAIRMAN OF JUNIORS

Overall responsibility for Mini and Junior rugby

School and other outside body liaison

RDO/NLD liaison at Junior level

Junior and mini fixtures

Coach co-ordination

Parental involvement

Player retention

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Clubhouse utilisation and bookings

Kitchen and bar operations and accounts

Cleaning of clubhouse and dressing rooms

Supply of all consumables in the clubhouse

Laundering of all kit and any repairs required

Club diary

Responsability for managing the club’s paid Bar and Kitchen staff

Co-ordinate all social functions

FACILITIES MANAGER

Control of all of the club’s facilities, excluding the Bar and Kitchens

General maintenance of the clubhouse

Maintenance and repair of pitches

Marking out of pitches during the season as required

COMMERCIAL MANAGER

Co-ordinate all fundraising activities

Establish and negotiate with all potential sponsors

Publicity of club in the local area

Development of club merchandise

MEMBERS AND SENIOR PLAYERS REPRESENTATIVE

Represent the interests of all fully paid members and senior players at the club

Junior to Senior player continuity

Oversee and help senior team selection in conjunction with the Director of Rugby and Selection Committee (the Senior Players

Rep doesn’t sit on the Selection Committee)

2. Use of CRUFC name

No individual member/coach/manager/team has a right to use the Club’s name for any reason without the express

written permission of the committee. Any scheme for whatever reason involving the use of the Club’s name

should be laid out in writing and presented to the committee for approval. The Club has sole rights to its name

and any funds raised in that name.

3. Fund Raising

All fund raising events must be endorsed by the committee particularly those that are arranged away from the

Club. Consideration may be given, on a case by case basis, to charging a levy on money raised away from the

Club, which will not be spent to the direct benefit of the Club as a whole, which could go into the development

fund.

4. Sponsorship

Every member has a role to play in obtaining sponsorship and the committee must encourage this. Sponsorship

should come under the overall control of the committee who should delegate powers at their discretion.

Current sponsors (a list of current sponsors can be found on our web site) should not be approached other than by

designated persons for any additional sponsorship. This would prevent a recent event when a current sponsor was

approached by a tour group for sponsorship of a tour. This can not be acceptable as it deliberately takes much

needed funds away from the Club.

RULES FOR SPONSORSHIP

The Club Committee will authorise and approve membership of a Sub Committee (SC) to source and develop

future sponsors and to maintain contact with existing sponsors.

The Club Treasurer (CT) will always be on this sub committee.

All money received will go directly to the CT to be paid into the bank. Other members must not pay money

directly into Paviors RFC bank account. Along with the payment details of the sponsorship and any restrictions

on its use i.e. If for a certain age group/team/project must be given. The CT will provide the SC with a regular

update of the sponsorship account.

All invoicing of any kind from the Club must be done by the CT. This includes for sponsorship/advertising.

Members of the SC must not invoice any sponsor directly under any circumstances.

Cash payments are to be discouraged but if received a receipt must be given a copy of which passed to the CT

with the money.

Payments from the sponsorship fund can only be made by the CT. Members of the Sub Committee should not

make personal payments and look for reimbursement without authorisation of the CT.

Any money received from individuals will be used as a C.A.S.C. donation.

The CT must be informed of any agreement reached for payment in kind, such as ECS and the balcony so that

any internal transference of money is made correctly and in agreement with all concerned.

5. Touring

Proposals for any tour should first be presented to the committee for approval. No arrangements for any tours

should be made until this approval has been granted. Each tour must nominate a person who will then be the sole

point of contact for the committee. When applicable approval from the CB or RFU/WRFU must be obtained and

documents to that effect lodged with the Secretary.

Tours should be self financing and have no fiscal impact on the domestic affairs of the Club. Current Club

sponsors (see list of current sponsors at the start of this document) must not be approached unless there is an

existing link with that team/age group. Fund raising should be preferably based on the Club’s facility. No fund

raising should be carried out under the banner of CRUFC away from the Club without the written approval of the

committee. The committee reserve the right to raise a levy against moneys thus raised which will be used for

development.

All financial activity must be conducted through the Club Treasurer, no team are allowed a separate fund other

than for minor running costs. The Treasurer will never pay out more for a tour than has been received under any

circumstances. Each tour will have a right to a copy of their tour fund account at any time when requested by

their appointed rep.

Behaviour particularly on the field of play should never drop below the standards expected under any other

conditions where CRUFC are represented. Any matters of discipline must be reported in the normal way.

Any unique kit or equipment for a tour must embrace Club colours and be endorsed by the committee. All kit and

equipment must be sourced through the Club’s procurement system. Sufficient notice must be provided to ensure

all such items are available well in advance of a tours departure. There can be absolutely no alternative to this.

However consideration to any special benefits that are made available through those connected with the tour will

be given attention. The Club would expect that if any preferential conditions were available they would already

have been made known for the benefit of the Club as a whole. If a member of the tour organisers is dissatisfied

with progress on kit it should be reported to the committee who will take any necessary action.

No touring sides should engage in any type of match which would be considered illegal under the rules of the

RFU or it’s constituent bodies. This particularly applies to junior sides where there may be players outside their

age group in the opposition. There is a duty of care and insurance issues involved and the Club would not support

any such actions under any circumstances.

It is the responsibility of the tour organisers to ensure that adequate insurance cover is arranged for tours and any

additional documentation to that effect must be lodged with the Club Secretary prior to leaving.

Whilst on tour representing Paviors, whether it be when travelling, playing or in the accommodation,

behaviour and respect for property belonging to others must be of the highest standard. Tour organisers

are bound to report any misdemeanours to the Club Secretary. Any such incidents will then be put before

the management Committee, in line with the Discipline Section (19) of this document, for deliberation.

Sanctions at their disposal will include removal of membership of the Club for a person(s) and the refusal

to allow future tours for the age group concerned.

The Club will issue a check list of its minimum requirements for touring once a tour has been approved.

6. Procurement

Taking the organisation of CRUFC as a whole we are effectively a small business. The Sports Club is registered

for VAT and the combined turnovers exceeds £50k. It is essential that we use our relative bulk to source the best

possible commercial terms available. This can only be done if all of our buying is done from a central point.

Although of small business proportion we offer no payment to officers and it would be grossly unfair to burden

an individual with the task. Therefore a small group needs to be established to perform the task. They will need

knowledge of what our own membership can offer and what’s available in the market.

A member of the Committee (see list of Officers which defines who is on the Committee) can spend £100.00 off

their ‘own back’ on a one off basis during that season but items over this amount and any subsequent occasion

need committee approval. Individual members of the Committee are not allowed to join together to spend over

£100.00. In other words a spend in excess of £100.00 needs Committee approval.

The SC is VAT registered but this does not apply to the RC/CC and there would be no benefit in registering

them. Everyone needs to be aware that the SC can legitimately claim back VAT on certain transactions such as

the recent purchase of the storage container and we need to make sure that we make full use of this. The SC can

not claim back VAT on kit although purchase of certain equipment may qualify.

In future all major expenditure will require at least three estimates of cost. These will be considered by the

procurement team and recommendations made to the committee. The committee will have the final approval of

any spend which may not always be the lowest bid.

7. Incentives to Playing

The Club does not have a policy of paying players to represent it.

The reality of where the First XV strives to play does require a certain amount of adjustment to the modern era of

professional rugby. None of this involves payments. The Club receives an amount of money from the RFU

depending on the First XV’s league position and this money goes into the general senior funds. All such activities

of the First XV and any other team are subject to Committee approval and a vigorous audit process.

8. The Kitchen

We provide food free of charge to senior and junior/mini opposition, on the day and on various special occasions.

Food is available to be purchased by others. The provision of this service is organised from within the Club and

expenses may be paid to those involved at the sole discretion of the Club Treasurer.

Only authorised and where necessary properly qualified persons will be allowed in the kitchen. This excludes the

general use of the kitchen by members in connection with any fund raising or similar event.

A split share of profit generated from the kitchen is put back into the Club and into the sections funds, as per the

agreement of the Committee.

9. The Bar

The bar is operated by the Operational Manager.

Only members approved by the Committee and requested to do so by the Operational Manager will be allowed

behind the bar.

No information other than that pertaining to the bar is allowed to be kept behind the bar unless otherwise agreed

by the Operational Manager.

Profit generated by the bar is vital to the financial well being of the Club. We have suffered over recent years

through theft in various forms. All members should be watchful and report any suspicious activity to the

Operational Manager.

10. Use of the Ground/Clubhouse

a) Use of the Ground

Pitch allocations -

There should be a concerted effort to ensure that both pitches and the training square are available for games or

training sessions throughout the whole season.

To achieve this, there will be a fair allocation of pitch usage, determined by the Operations Manager and adhered

to by all users. Careful and stringent conditions must be in place for the playing surfaces at Stonegravels to cope

with the demands placed upon them by the large number of squads and individuals using them.

Pitch allocations are decided well in advance on an equitable basis by the Operations Manager and are not to be

ignored or subverted for the sake of temporary expediency. Any proposed changes from the published schedule

must be sanctioned by the OM after due and full consideration of the reasons for the proposed amendments.

In particular;

* No squad may, without the agreement of the OM, arrange home fixtures which have an impact on the

availability of playing or training facilities to the detriment of other Club users. All such arrangements MUST be

agreed by the OM and all other affected users.

* Where a squad is scheduled to use any of the Stonegravels facilities, and where an away fixture is arranged

instead, the OM must be alerted at an early stage too allow other squads to avoid excessive travel away from the

Club or the unnecessary expenditure on alternative facilities.

Unplayable ground conditions –

Decisions as to whether the playing/training surface is suitable for play will be based on the following criteria, in

order of priority.

* The safety of players, match officials, coaches and spectators.

* The status of the fixture to be played.

* The visibility or otherwise of pitch markings.

* The capacity of the pitch to sustain extended play and recover in time to support further useage.

The condition of the playing surface is the direct responsibility of the Facilities Manager and the decision of the

delegated Officer of the Day must be final and accepted without demur.

The O.O.D must, at the earliest opportunity, inform the Committee (via the FM) of any decision to abandon play,

and the reasons for it. Regular reviews of any decision putting pitches out of commission must be held to enable

lifting of any restrictions at the earliest opportunity or for one off events.

The Facilities Manager will liaise with the grounds maintenance contractor to put into operation whatever

controls are necessary to maintain the playing surfaces, taking into account growing and weather conditions and

the expert advice of the contractor.

The Club will endeavour to maintain all playing surfaces in a condition fit enough to support training and games

throughout the season without detriment to the surface.

Generally pitch management will be geared to a maximum of three games per pitch per weekend but when

conditions deteriorate restrictions will be actively considered.

There will be no exceptions to the restrictions on access to pitches without the express authorisation of the

Facilities Manager following a full pitch inspection by a competent person.

Each team coach or manager should be proactive in evaluating weather prospects and be prepared to call off

games in consultation with the O.O.D. when pitch and weather conditions are not looking favourable.

Matches or training sessions can be cancelled at any point up to kick off. The decision may be taken by the match

officials or team coaches, based on the safety of the players.

Normal Play –

Except for squad training sessions the car park side of pitch 1 will be roped off and access to the roped-off area

will be restricted to players, match officials, coaches and specific helpers e.g. first aiders and water carriers.

Coaches and helpers may only enter the playing area by consent.

A similar roped barrier will be erected alongside pitch 2 dividing the playing area from the corridor behind the

pitch 1 in goal area. The same restrictions apply.

Coaches should wherever possible stay in the technical area, defined as a 10 meter by 5 meter square centred on

the halfway line.

When the pitch is divided up into smaller playing areas to accommodate mini games the following

conditions will apply;

* In touch areas approximately 4 meters in width (and no less than 3 m) will be marked between adjoining ‘mini

pitches’ to allow for safety of players and to allow for the free movement of coaches and touch judges.

* Only essential coaches of either club will be allowed on the playing area ‘corridors’ to prevent unnecessary

damage to the playing surfaces surrounding the temporary pitches. Spectators and substitutes will remain behind

the rope barrier.

* For the protection of the players everyone apart from match officials or coaches must stand behind any barriers.

Except for interruptions in play, or at the express permission of the referee, coaches must stay back from the line

of touch.

Referees are fully empowered not to start games, or to stop games during play, if these conditions are not

observed.

We are sure that everyone will appreciate the need for these controls and thank you all for your cooperation.

Miscellaneous –

* No scrummage machine should ever be operated within the boundary of a pitch.

* Warm up and training shuttles or similar exercisers should be done off the pitch or, where absolutely

unavoidable, in the dead ball areas.

b) Use of the Clubhouse

At present, apart from training on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and the games over the weekend, the

clubhouse will not normally be open. All meetings for whatever purpose should fit into those opening times

whenever possible. With the exception of selection and committee meetings the Bar Manager must be informed

of other events. Likewise all social events whatever the day or time of day must be booked through the Bar

Manager. Do not circulate any event until a booking has been confirmed by the BM. The BM will require a single

point of contact for that event and only consult with that person. It is also the responsibility of that designated

person to confirm bookings to the BM a week before the event.

Opening Hours: TBC

11. Outside use of the facility

Our planning conditions are restrictive in the use of Stonegravels. We are only allowed to make use of the place

for members and their guests for activities directly related to the sports played there. There can be no use of the

premises by the general public. However it might be possible for individual members to have use of the facility

under certain circumstances. Those interested should approach the OM who will then confer with the Committee.

12. Planning Issues

Our planning conditions are restrictive and have been challenged in the past to no avail. This has to be an

ongoing exercise in the light of planning changes and adjacent developments. It should be the responsibility of

the committee to pursue this matter.

Currently we are only able to use the place for sport related events, including fund raising, for members and their

guests. The bar must close by 11.00pm and the whole site cleared of people by 11.10pm. There is a further period

up to 11.30pm to allow organisers to tidy up and close down. We are not allowed to use Burntstump beyond these

times and therefore no overnight activities can be allowed.

TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE ABOVE THE BAR WIL ALWAYS CLOSE AT 10.30pm AT ANY

ORGANISED EVENT.

13. Neighbours

Difficult as it may be in certain cases there is no future in being at loggerheads with your neighbour. The SC

attempt to deal with them as professionally as possible and all we can ask of our members is that we are polite

and considerate to them all at all times under any circumstances.

14. CASC

The RC is now registered as a CASC

15. Payments to Officers of the Club

We do not pay any Officers of the Club.

16. Payments to Players

It is the hard and fast policy of CRUFC not to pay players.

17. Insurances

Currently the Club offers no insurance cover for its Officers.

Playing Insurance

The Club automatically subscribes to the RFU Compulsory Insurance Scheme. It is a comprehensive insurance

policy and covers all players, coaches and referees whilst taking part in any organised training or matches in

which the Club is involved. It does however only cover the most serious of injuries and there is no cover for loss

of earnings due to injuries sustained whilst playing rugby.

Whilst we hope that no one sustains any injuries at all it has to be recognised that the game of rugby is a physical

sport and there is always a risk of an injury being sustained which has consequences beyond the game itself. For

this reason it is important that all players, coaches and referees should satisfy themselves that their insurance

needs will be covered should they be injured whilst taking part in any training or playing at the Club.

Further details on the RFU Insurance and of other options available can be obtained from the Secretary or on the

RFU website (www.rfu.com).

18. Club Colours

Our Club colours are Red and black Hoops shirts with black shorts and black socks with a red turn over these

colours should be represented in all kit or leisure wear.

19. Web Site

There will be two overall coordinators of the site who will update certain pages as and when necessary.

The current coordinator is Chris Pattison and Fred Pell.

For Mini and Juniors each team will nominate one person to become the sections webmaster and they will be

responsible for all content and updates within that area. None of the persons nominated will have any right to

affect the web site outside their own team’s area.

The content of any section should never, under any circumstances contain criticism of match officials, players

from either side, coaches or spectators. The Web site will be monitored and contravention of any rules will lead

to the removal of that person from the nominated position for their team and the offending article.

20. Discipline

a) Playing

The Club shall appoint a Disciplinary Panel charged with the responsibility of maintaining the expected standards

of discipline within the Club. The Disciplinary Panel shall normally comprise of three members including The

Chairman and/or The President, Director of Rugby and a player’s representative or a Junior Rep. A hearing may

proceed with a panel of two provided that all parties to the case first agree. THERE IS ONLY ONE

DISCIPLINERY COMMITTEE THAT DEALS WITH ALL SECTIONS OF THE CLUB.

The Panel will oversee discipline for the entire Club irrespective of age group, section or category of

membership. Not withstanding the requirements of the current Rules of Chesterfield Panthers RUFC no sanction

or disciplinary action of any kind may be imposed on a member of the Club other than by the Disciplinary Panel.

In all cases of sending off, abuse of match officials or other general misconduct by a player, official, parent or

supporter alike, the Team Manager or other nominated official must notify the Club Secretary within 24 hours of

the incident occurring. This is to ensure that any obligations placed on the Club, such as the requirement for the

Club Secretary to notify the NLD disciplinary representative within 72 hours of a sending off, are carried out in

accordance with the RFU Disciplinary Regulations.

In sending off cases involving senior players, players aged 17 or over playing for a senior team and at U19 level,

unless otherwise agreed by the Disciplinary Panel, the player is deemed to be automatically suspended from

playing for a minimum period of 2 weeks from the date of the sending off, or until the outcome of the formal

NLD disciplinary hearing or investigation is known, whichever is sooner.

Where an NLD disciplinary hearing is required the player will be expected to attend the hearing in person, along

with a club official, normally the Players Disciplinary Representative. Where payment to the NLD of an

administration fee is required, to cover the cost of the formal hearing or investigation, the Club will be expected

to pay the required amount for the player providing their membership is fully paid up. Otherwise it is the player

who is expected to pay, up to a maxium of 2 sendings off per season.

In sending off cases involving players playing junior rugby aged 17 or below the disciplinary action to be taken

will be decided by the Club’s Disciplinary Panel who will meet as soon as practicable after the sending off. If this

is to be more than 7 days after the offence, the NLD’s Youth Disciplinary Secretary is to be notified of the

circumstances of the case and the likely hearing date by the end of the 7 day period. Once the hearing has been

held the NLD Youth Disciplinary Secretary should be notified of the outcome within 48 hours of the hearing.

b) Other

Any matters of discipline not directly covered by section a above will be dealt with by the Management

Committee of the Club. This includes but is not limited to any playing incident not reported by a match official,

behaviour before or after a game, behaviour of people on the touchline, damage to property either at Burntstump

or elsewhere, behaviour on tours etc. Non reporting of any incident by team officials will lead to sanctions

against them if such incidents come to light. Any malicious damage to the Club will lead to withdrawal of

membership

CRUFC EXPECTS AND DEMAND THAT IT’S MEMBERS BEHAVE CORRECTLY AT ALL TIMES

IN ACCORDANCE OF THE ETHOS OF THE CLUB.

21. Correspondence with other Clubs/Organisations

Other than for playing matters pertaining to the arrangement of games no person should enter into dialect or

correspondence with another club/individual regarding any matter whatsoever without the knowledge and

approval of the Committee. Any subsequent correspondence must be copied to the Club Secretary for inclusion in

club records. If a team captain/coach/manager is approached by another club/party regarding any incidents

involving a match the matter must be referred to the Secretary.

22. Team Officials

The selection of all team officials, if not done at the AGM, must be approved by the Committee before their

official appointment and inclusion in the fixture handbook.

There are conditions of responsibility that rightly go along with those who wish to stand as Managers, Coaches,

Captains and Vice Captains. All such officials must set the correct example by being the first to pay the annual

subscription. The positions that they undertake makes them duty bound to collect subscriptions from others they

wish to select for their team. In the case of the Seniors managers and Captains must collect match tax from all

those who fall within the scope of the tax. All such monies must be made over to the Club Treasurer at the next

selection meeting following the last game of the month. The Treasurer will distribute the correct forms which

must be properly completed to record all information regarding the collection of match tax and any expenses

incurred. Match tax is not to be used to buy the opposition beer but can be used to buy the referee/touch judge

refreshment.

A PERSON WHO IS NOT TOTALLY COMMITTED TO THE ABOVE SHOULD NOT STAND FOR

OFFICE. THE COMMITTEE WILL HAVE THE POWER TO REMOVE THAT PERSON FROM OFFICE

FOR NON COMPLIANCE.

In addition such team officials have responsibility for their player’s behaviour and attitude towards officials and

opponents. They must also report any actions taken by match officials to the Club Secretary within 48 hours (see

section on discipline). They must not enter into any form of contact with another club on such matters; this must

be done through the Secretary.

RULES FOR TEAM OFFICIALS For clarity and to ensure both existing and any new Managers, Captains or whatever are aware the following

rules will apply.

Collection of Money

Subscriptions;

The lead Team Official for each side will have a duty to collect as quickly as possible and hand over to the

Treasurer the annual subscription to the Club, currently £55.00 per season. The Team Official shall have no

power to enter into any agreement which results in none or reduced payment. Such decisions can only be made

by the Club Secretary in conjunction with the Treasurer.

Match Tax

The rules regarding the collection of match tax should be rigorously applied for ALL GAMES and needs to be

paid as soon as possible after the game.

For information match tax off sets part of the cost of staging the game at home or travelling to away games.

The costs associated with this are

Playing Insurance 10.00

Pitch Marking 25.00

Laundry 7.50

Setting out flags/post protectors 10.00

Society Referees 27.50

Food for visitors 20.00

Telephone calls 5.00

TOTAL COST PER HOME GAME £112.50

The cost for an away game is £30.00

These costs do not change whatever the nature of the game.

Non Payment of subscription or match tax

Any non payment of either subs or match tax after a reasonable amount of time, which will be decided by

the Club Secretary, will jeopardise that person’s selection.

Expense Claims

It is the Policy of CRUFC not to pay any expenses incurred with running the Club unless agreed with the

Club Secretary.

Bear in mind that any person of any position in the Club must accept that as with any leisure pursuit there

is a cost involved.

Claiming travel expenses for ferrying team mates around is not allowed. If they were allowed it would represent

an advantage to those involved not enjoyed by the majority of the members. Any such expenses incurred should

be collected from those involved on a personal basis involving the driver involved, the Club will not be involved

in this.

Only authorised Team Officials can purchase equipment for their respective age groups, but all purchases must

be done through the Club Shop who is Alison Holleworth.

No other expenses are allowed unless previously agreed with the Club’s Secretary and Treasurer.

23. Floodlights on the Main Pitch

The floodlights on the stand (far) side should only be used when it is an organized league game, and fully

endorsed by the Fixtures Secretary and Operations Manager and then they are to be turned off by 21:30hrs.

Under no other circumstances should the lights be used on both sides.

The 2nd

team flood lights can be used in conjunction with the car park side flood lights and the training square

lights.

24. The Club Shop

The aim of the Shop is to provide kit and equipment to the membership at lower prices than the high street at a

profit to the Club. This profit is ploughed back into the Club.

No goods should be removed from the shop unless payment has been made in full. This includes last minute

presentation gifts to visiting touring sides as well as our own outgoing tours. Sufficient prior notice is always

available for such events and any items needed should be paid for in advance. Likewise the shop offers no credit

under any circumstances to individual members. Any special orders must be supported by a non-refundable

deposit.

As with the bar if any members see anything untoward please report the matter to the Shop Manager or Club

Treasurer.

The current Shop Manager is Alison Holleworth.

Shop Management

A sub-committee is responsible for all issues relating to the shop. In the first instance if you have any issues

relating to the shop please refer to one of the following;

POSITION CURRENT OFFICER

Club Chairman/President CC Steve Gambles

Club Treasurer CT Alison Holleworth

Shop Manager SM Alison Holleworth

Bar Manager BM Nicola Blair

Cash handling & recording of sales

This season a till will be provided in the shop, on which all sales and refunds must be recorded. This not only

will increase physical security of the takings, but (as now takes place with the bar) will also allow weekly cash

reconciliations to take place.

In addition to the cash handling, a description of the goods sold, together with sizes and selling price should also

be recorded on the provided sheets. This is very important as it allows accurate stock management.

Any goods exchanged, should also be recorded on these sheets at a nil value.

Cash will be collected and banked by either SM or CC every Tuesday.

Refunds

Refunds are at the discretion of the Shop Manager.

Should she (or any other member of the shop committee not be present), individuals are authorised to offer

refunds for faulty goods only upto a maximum of £30.

Refunds should be recorded on the till, and on the sales sheet, together with a reason for return, and the returnee’s

age group.

Any unresolved disputes must be reported to the Committee who will have the final decision.

Sales on credit

No items should be sold on credit. Cash/cheque/card payment should be received before any goods are allowed

to leave the shop.

Very occasionally there may be a need for teams to have items for matches etc. Goods are only allowed out of

the shop by the express permission of one of the shop committee members. All such goods must be signed for

and information transferred to the CT or ACT by email the following day.

Any items taken on credit should be recorded on the provided sheets.

Orders

Orders are the responsibility of WO but require authorising by the CT or ACT.

Should you become aware of items needed please inform SM who will then request such goods be ordered by the

EO.

Likewise, if you think the shop should be stocking items not currently available please let one of the committee

know.

Certain items are available to order only – typically shoulder pads and head guards. If a customer wants to order

an item, full details and a deposit of at least 25% should be taken and recorded in the order book.

WO will collect orders every Tuesday.

All orders to suppliers together with the value of that order must receive the approval of the Club Treasurer. This

will prevent any impact on the cash flow of the Club. Such information must be exchanged by email and the

approval of the Treasurer obtained before placing the order.

Price List

The shops price list applies at all times. No discounts should be given.

Special prices are available to touring sides for bulk purchase of kit. Contact SM

Any disputes on prices should be referred to SM.

Goods Inwards

All new stock must be received by the Shop Manager or their appointed Deputy (this must not be the Purchasing

Officer) and the details recorded on a Goods Received Book which will be kept in the shop together with all

suppliers delivery tickets until collected by the Treasurer or their appointed deputy.

Accounting

The Club Treasurer or Assistant Club Treasurer has the sole responsibility of producing accounts for the shop.

These accounts will form part of the yearly accounts and will also be distributed as a separate document for the

AGM. Under no circumstances will anyone other than the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer or one of the other three

Officers of the Club be involved in the accounting process.

Invoice Address

All suppliers will be instructed to address all invoices directly to the Club Treasurer or their appointed deputy at

their address. There will be no exceptions to this. The Treasurer will then check these with the Purchasing

Officer, the Shop Manager and against the Goods Received Sheets.

Stock Takes

In addition to the stock takes required to produce the annual accounts a stock take will be taken every month and

interim accounts produced. The stock take will be undertaken by one of the Officers of the Club along with the

Shop Manager or their appointed deputy. This information will be relayed to the Treasure or Assistant Treasurer

who will then produce a set of interim accounts to be presented to the Committee for approval. Copies will then

be distributed to the EO and SM. Stock takes may be taken at other times at the discretion of the CT.

Staffing

Staffing the shop is the responsibility of the SM. During the week and on Saturdays the SM may delegate that

responsibility to the BM. A list of members approved by the Shop Committee will be co-opted to assist as and

when the SM sees fit. The SM has the right to remove any person from that list with immediate effect.

Access/Issue of Keys

Keys to the shop will be restricted to the SM. The SM may issue other keys at their discretion. Such keys issued

may be withdrawn by the SM with immediate effect. The SM has a responsibility that access to the shop is

always available through an approved source whenever the Clubroom is open. All keys must be signed for.

25. Newsletter

The same conditions as apply to the web site also apply to the Newsletter; there should be no criticism of

officials, coaches or players. All articles must have the contributors name attached and under no circumstances

should any article be included that either does not include a name or disguises it. Distribution should be

electronically and the Editor must be proactive in growing the address book. Hard copies should be available at

the Club for those without the facility to receive it electronically. In certain special cases, which the Committee

will inform the Editor of, hard copies may be posted.

26. Injury

All serious injuries (known as reportable injuries) shall be notified to the Club Secretary within 24 hours of the

injury occurring. The person responsible for this will be the Team Manager or if they are not available the Lead

Coach or the person assuming that position on the day. Reportable injuries include:-

• Any head or neck injury that requires a player to go directly to a hospital Accident and Emergency

department;

• Any injury that results in a player being admitted to hospital as an inpatient after the game or training has

finished. This does not include outpatient visits to A&E or other hospital clinics;

• Any injury that prevents a player from playing or training for a period of 8 weeks or longer;

• Deaths that occur during a game or within 6 hours of the game finishing.

The Club Secretary is then required to notify the RFU Sports Injuries Administrator within 48 hours of the injury

occurring.

27. Abuse of Match Officials

In line with the RFU code of conduct, the Club will not tolerate abuse of match officials of any sort and will

investigate and where necessary take disciplinary action against any member found in breach of the code.

Match officials include both the referee and touch judges, and abuse is defined as (but not limited to):-

verbal or physical assault

intimidatory conduct

racial or sexual harassment

The code of conduct relates to all members or representatives of the Club including players, coaches, officials,

parents and spectators and applies not only during the game but also before and after the final whistle.

28. Codes of Conduct

Codes of Conduct relating to Parent/Player/Coaches behaviour are available on the web site along with child

protection information. All Members should familiarise themselves with these and behave accordingly. Any

transgressions will be dealt with by the Club Disciplinary Committee

29. Travelling Expenses

It is the rule of the Club not to pay any travel expenses, however coach travel can be arranged and the process is

detailed below:

Team Travel by bus to away games

All teams should undertake appropriate fund raising to fund any required bus travel, however where the team

hasn’t raised enough monies and has a need to travel long distances to fulfill fixtures for league and cup games

then the guidelines below will apply.

1. The team should seek permission to requisition transport from the treasurer at least six weeks in advance of

travel. (Currently all expenditure over £100 should be agreed in advance with the treasurer - committee meeting

July 2007). All team members will be expected to take advantage of the travel option and thus team captains,

managers should canvas opinion and a majority be in favour before transport is requested/arranged.

2. The team should provide three quotations for the journey and the best quotation shall be accepted.

3 Travel to the away game for supporters should be advertised a minimum one month in advance to all members

on a fee paying basis in order to ensure that all club members are aware and can take advantage of the facility on

offer - first come first served basis.

4 A minimum distance of 100 miles round trip shall apply unless a difficult journey or demand for bus travel will

more than pay for the hire.

5 The club will underwrite a maximum of 50% of the cost of the bus should the team/squad be unable to raise

sufficient funds outright with the remainder to come from supporters travel fees, team match fees and squad

funds.

6 Match fees should be collected in the normal way and may be offset against bus travel

7 The Treasurer has sole discretion in authorising travel expenses for away travel

29 Match Fee’s

Match fees cover many incidental expenses in running the playing side of the club and thus are considered

necessary.

Match fees should be collected by each team appointed treasurer, coach or manager for every game played,

current fees are:

£3 for seniors in full time employment

£2 for students or un-employed

and £1.50 for juniors, no match fee for mini’s.

An account for match fees and relevant monies should be submitted to the treasurer by the 10th

of the following

month together, or left behind the bar marked for the attention of the Treasurer.

Where long distance away travel is required match fees may be put towards the cost of the travel when by

authorised bus travel and also in circumstances where a bus would have been authorised by the Treasurer to be

used to reimburse travel expenses of the team.

The Treasurer has sole discretion in authorising travel expenses for away travel.

30 Annual Subscriptions and Membership Fees

Membership Fees

The tariff for the annual subscription for all sections of the Club is set at each years AGM and unless so provided

by Club Rules must be paid by the due date. It applies to ALL players unless consent from the Senior

Management Committee of the Club permits exceptions. Membership fees are due on 1st September each year

and are broken down into a Club Membership Fee and a Playing Membership Fee.

The Club Membership Fee of £35 covers the person paying it along with their partner and all children up to the

age of eighteen. There is then an additional Playing Membership Fee of £20 for the first person and £10 for all

others that may wish to play for the Club.

All players are reminded that only those that have paid all membership fees due are eligible for selection for any

team that the Club may field. Audits will be taken during the season of all squads to check on this as the playing

of non-Club members may invalidate the insurance cover for the whole team.

Until membership is obtained by payment of the annual subscriptions no person will enjoy the advantages such

membership brings.

31 Changing Rooms

All members have a responsibility to ensure that changing rooms are kept clean and in a good state. Any

problems with the changing rooms should be reported to someone behind the bar who will pass this on to the

right person.

On a training night it is the responsibility of the most senior squad member to ensure the c/rooms are swept clean

or keep as clean as possible, please ensure that ALL boots are taken off and excess mud removed and left outside.

At the weekends this will be the responsibility of the age group or team to ensure that the home sides and the

away teams changing rooms are clean and free of mud and rubbish (dry swept) and to ensure the baths are

empty, and showers turned off. If this policy is not adhered to, the cost of cleaning the changing rooms will be

deducted from that squad’s fund.

32 Selection

Selection is not an area that easily lends itself to any hard and fast rules. Although all of those involved have not

been subject to election at the AGM they are never the less bound by decisions made there and subsequently by

those senior officers democratically elected at that meeting.

One guideline that must be observed regards replacements. The number of replacements allowed for a First Team

league game should be the maximum selected for all teams. Even if the rules of a competition that lower sides

compete in allow it, they should not take more than that number. The exceptions to this will only be when taking

more has no detrimental affect on lower sides. The Senior Management Committee of the Club entrusts the

Chairman of Rugby to ensure this stipulation is met and his decision is final.

Regarding players under the age of 19 who are properly available for senior rugby within the guidelines as laid

down by the RFU and CB the following will apply.

Chesterfield Panthers RUFC First XV have first call on any eligible player under any circumstances. Thereafter

the availability of any Under 19 player for a senior side is subject to the following.

The selection of that player meets with and has received the approval of the Under 19 Management

Other than for the First XV no player will be selected for a senior side or as a replacement when there is a Under

19 game the following day. The Under 19 Management may waive this at their discretion but it is not up to the

player concerned.

For interests of safety any Under 19 player playing in a Senior Side must receive utmost care and consideration

with regard to their safety particularly those involved in the forwards. Team Captains have a duty to ensure this.

33 Coach Education Policy

Chesterfield Panthers RUFC Coach Education Policy

The Club recognises the importance of coaching for all of our players to assist them in developing their playing

talent at the club and that competent coaches play a crucial role in helping the Club as a whole to achieve a higher

standard of rugby.

With this in mind we have looked at various ways of encouraging those involved (or wishing to become

involved) in this essential element of the game.

Coaching courses come at a financial cost to individuals and therefore the Club will always try to assist

prospective and developing coaches by paying for the relevant course in advance. We appreciate that the

cumulative costs of Rugby Ready, a Level 1 course and travel/subsistence expenses are a significant cost to many

coach candidates.

Whilst doing this the Club also recognises that there are funds available from a variety of outside bodies that may

also contribute towards such costs and these should always be the first port of call. We must always aim to

maximise any spending power that the Club may have.

Currently, Derbyshire Sports provides financial assistance through their Bursary Fund, to support coaching

activities carried out within the Derbyshire border. The Fund will be making grants available up to a total of £200

or half of the course fees (whichever is the lower).

This financial support is available to offset the cost of Award and Non-award courses. In other words,

consideration will be given to Rugby Ready and coach licensing CPD courses, as well as Level 1, 2 or 3 courses.

There may be other sources of funding available. Prospective coaches are urged to explore whatever possibilities

may exist.

PLEASE NOTE:

* We expect coaches to make use of this resource to recover as much as possible of the money spent on coaching

courses for the Club. Every penny we get back adds value to the Club.

* We expect coaches who have received funding to put their new talents at the service of the Club by coaching

for 2 seasons (this may include the season in which the award was gained). The Club reserves the right to seek

reimbursement of funds (in full or in part) from coaches in the event that they leave the Club through their own

choice before their commitment is fully discharged

All coaching courses funded by the Club must be agreed by the Club’s Coaching Co-ordinator, Kevin Brown.

Please note that all applications to the Sports Bursary Fund fund have to be made by the individual (this is partly

due to the application forms being electronic but also to protect credit/debit card information) but payment will

be reimbursed by the Club providing proof of payment is presented to the Club Treasurer.

It may be feasible, by prior arrangement with the Treasurer, to pay for courses by cheque drawn on the Club’s

account.

34 Teams playing at home or training at weekends

DUTY HOME TEAM POLICY

Overview

The overall aim is to make Saturday’s and Sunday’s mornings at the Club run smoothly.

A friendly face and point of contact for those with questions and in need of direction.

The following list is just an idea of idea tasks that may need to be arranged or sorted out on the day.

• Check your squad volunteers are in place (ie. Raffle Staff)

• Visiting Referees – greet, direct to changing room, offer cup of tea, welcome etc.

• Check Notice Board for Match Fixtures at Home and then check changing rooms have been

allocated and labelled.

• Take a walk around pitches and car park – direct visiting teams to Club House and welcome.

• Allocate volunteer Pitch Inspector to check over pitches for litter, glass etc. before play.

• Check that pitches have been roped off and that spectators and cars are not in the way of play.

• Check post protectors are in place around base of posts.

• Check that St. Johns Ambulance are in attendance where there is a match (offer a cup of tea).

• Issue Meal Tickets (from behind the Bar) to the Away Team Coaches

• AFTER games/training etc. check all equipment is put away and tidy, not obstructing entrances and

exits

• Keep an eye on state of changing rooms – make a note of good home team behaviour, tidiness etc.

and report back to coaches any bad behaviour, breakages etc.

• Check pitch areas – ropes collected and stored from around pitches, post protectors and corner flags

collected and stored.

• Check again for discarded drinks bottles, Club tea mugs, left clothing etc. – return to Club and lost

property.

• Allocate a litter picker, complete with bin bag to scour the pitches and leave in a ‘match fit’ state

for afternoon play.

• Give yourself a pat on the back !!